Cellular plastic construction and method of producing same



A. C, HEAPHY.

CELLUL'AR PLASTIC CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD 0F PRODUCING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY l5. 191s.

1,438,238. Patented' Dec. 12,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Inventor;

4 Arcz/ald Tapay,

A. C. HEAPHY.

CELLULAR PLASTIC CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD 0F PRODUCING SAME. v APPucATxoN rlLinMAv 15. 191s.

1,438,2a8- A Patented Dee. 12,1922. v

' l .I 2 SHEETS-SHED 2.

Inv/tenan' Archibald C. ,ea/vlag,

, struction'of shi`ps,`eithe`r as a hull proper or Patented Dec. l2, QZZ.

` srarssr encarnar@ c. HEAPHY, oriivnw Yoan; N; Y. 1

cELLULAnP'LAsTrc cons'rnuc'rron AND ivrn'riron on PnoDUcING siiivm.`

Application inea may 15,

To all whom t may concern.' u, y Be it known that l, ARCHIBALD C. HEAPHY, 'a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State ofl New York, haveinvented certain newiand useful Improvements in Cellular v Plastic Construction and Methods offFroducing Same, of which the following is a specification. n

My present invention pertains to anim" proved cellular plastic construction and to the method of producing' the same.

The invention has for its main object the production of a cellular plastic structure Vand more specifically' a reinforced structure. While applicable to various building or .structural elements, suchas walls,beams, lgirdfers, and the like,.the invention is par-l ticularlyadaptable to marine constructions,

such as barges, pontoons, dry-docks and the,

like, and ymore particularly the hull con as a sheathing therefor. u

The invention is illustrated7 in so far as is necessary `to anv understanding thereof, in thev annexed drawings, wherein: Fig. l is an elevation of a mold wherein,

at'the left, the cells and reinforcing or tying elements are shown in position to receive the plastic concrete or cement filling, while at the'right'the filling is in place;

Fig. 2 a vertical sectional view on the line Fig. 3 a perspective view of one of the cells'employe'd in the structure; and' Fig. l a sectional'view'of the hull of the ship; having .that portion thereof which is below thef'water line formed .from layers of tion.

191s, serial, No. 234,685."v

able `for the Referring t0 the drawings, 1min be Seen that I employ inthe structure a series of hollow chambers, which are made of meta-l or other suitable substance, and are air-tight,l The chambers or cells l willbe of.v varying OFFICE.-

fed as the equivalents of anysuitablexplastic i 'cement or lmixture which may befound ysuitpurposes of the'present inven-y shapes in eros,s-section, as yshown in Fig.l l,

so that when positioned within the form or` mold 2 therewill be left in and. about them a series of inter-connected or communicating channels or' spaces, such channels being 1denoted'byv at the left of Fig. 1. The cells or` chambers 1 will preferably Ibe angu f lar `in cross-section, and such shapeswill .bey

' provided as willsutiiciently yfillthe mold to thev desired or necessary extent` to produce` the requisite space for the plastic material,v

denoted by 5l. Where the ultimate structure,

istofbe light for -a'given cubical area, the cells will be relatively large, and, conversely, where the structure is to be heavy the cellswill besm'aller or, spaced apart to a..

' greater extent.v

To the' end walls of'each cell or chamber` there willvbe secured,` asfor instance, by electric welding', ajpluralitylof laterally projecting arms '5, having out-turned pronv ed ends 6. Where these arms cross or'over ap they will, bypreferenca bebolted lor otherwise securedctogether forming, in eifect, a spider frame construction which, withv the out-turnedends, form an anchorage for the plastic material which entirely surrounds and embeds the cells and braces upon being poured'into the surrounding mold. -Tlie I `inter-connection of the cells and the pronged ends'resist the upwardv pressure .ofy the cells during the Vprocess of pouring the plastic materialand until the same has acquired its set. When the plastic material becomes sety and hard there isA 'produced a strong reinvforced structurehaving a series of.voidsv therein which are water and air-tight andv whichis at once light as compared to a solid structure of the same size and` plastic ma-y terial. 1 i y y By employing cells of angular formation, as, lfor, instance, hexagonal main cells with triangular and quadrilateral filling cells, the structure is of substantially even formation throughout. The angular' formation of the cells, moreover, materially adds to the strength of the structure, though it is to be understood that I dor not desire to 'confine myself to such shapes.

Columns and girders may be produced by employing molds or forms of the required height or length and such members thus built upwill beat once light and strong. Under the arrangement of cells shown in Figs. l and 2, the voids will approximate 75% of thetotalcubical content.

As'abovernoted, the invention lends itself to use in marine structures, and in Fig. 4 there is illustratedl a ship provided with a hull having a structure, such as is above described, embodied therein.

The hull maybe said to be laminated, the various layers having different specific gravities forthe same cubical area. Thus the outerlayer or sheathing Z may be formed of concrete or solid reinforced concrete, the next layer 8 being of a cellular construction, as above described, the cells or voids being p small as compared to the next adjacent layer '9,while the innermost layer l0 has cells or voids of still llarger size. rlhere is thus produced a hull, the various laminee of which are of different .specific gravities :for a given cubical area afeature of advantage against collision with floating mines, and also against torpedo attacks. When subjected to theimpact of explosion the outer skin or layer 7` of solid concrete resists the same, but in the event that the force of theexplosion is severe, lthe solid layer will disintegrate and drop away, thus relieving the ship of itsdead weight and rendering the same more buoyant.

Having thus described my invention, what` I claim las new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is ze l. That method of producing `reinforced plasticstructures which consists in `placing a plurality of rigid, hollow, water and air tight cells within a'mold and lspacing the same apart, and thereafter pouring plastic material into the spaces or channels left between-and about such cells and the mold.

2. That method of producinga light reinforced plastic structure, which consists in placing a plurality of rigid inter-connected and spaced water and air tight cells within a mold and thereafter pouring plastic material into the' spaces or channels left between and about such celis and the mold.

3.v A reinforced plastic structure comprising, incombination, a plurality of rigid airtight metallic Celis, said cells being spaced away from each other; and a body of plastic material filling .the spacesv or channels betweenvsuch cells.

holding the cells in spaced relation-and a.y

body of plastic material filling thespaces between the `cells and embracing: the spacing members.

6. A reinforced plastic structure comprising a series of rigid air-tight cells; spider frames fixed to and connecting and spacingsaid cells; and a body of plastic material filling the spaces between the cellsandeml bracing the spider frames.

7. A reinforced plastic structure comprising a series of metallic air-tight cells, angular in cross-section; arms secured tothe ends of saidy cells and extending laterallytherefrom; means connecting the ends of adjacent arms; and a filling of plastic materiall surrounding said cells andV arms.`

8. A ship the hull whereofy is laminated,;

thek outermost layer beingl formed lof *solidf plastic material an'd the next adjacent'layer or stratum having a series of air-tight cells.

embedded in andsurrounded by plastioma.- terial.

9. A ship the hull whereof islaminated,

the various laminzebeing formedof plastic. Y

material possessing d ierent specific gravi-IV ties.

10. A ship thehull whereof is laminated, said laminaebeing cellular `in form andl having different specific,` gravities.

l1. A ship the hull whereof is laminated,

the various laminee being formedv ofreinforced plastic material and being vof different specific gravities, such diferencebeing produced by voids `or spaces therein of varying sizes.

l2. A ship the hull whereof is produced from reinforced plastic material having airtight voids therein, said material being laid on in lamin with the voidsincreasingin.

aggregate cubical area toward the inner. portion of the hull.

13. A ship the inner, portion of theskinof the hull whereof is produced from reinforced rconcrete and an outer skin of plain concrete, said reinforced concrete havingA a plurality of air-tight voids therein.

lat.4 A shipv the hull whereof. is produced from reinforced 'concrete and an outer skinA of plain concrete, said reinforced concrete.

having' a plurality of air-tight voids there-` in, said voids increasing in aggregate cubiity of ein 4and water-ti lit cells; a-seriesof` l cal area toward the inner portion of the arms fixed to and extending outwardlythere- 10 hull.` v from; and a, body'of concrete eastaboutsad` r Y 15. A otative body comprising a, plu-v cells and arms and embedding the saine.y 5 rality of air and Water-tight cells surround- In testimony whereof I have signed my v ed and heldin place by plastic material cast vneme to this specication. l R A thereabout.

16. A otative body comprising a plural- Y AIRCHIBALD"C.` i 

